The Bradley Stoke Journal

The parliamentary constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke (FABS) could be renamed Thornbury and Filton if changes proposed by the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) remain unchanged after a public consultation period that starts today.

A recent Act of Parliament called for the total number of constituencies in England to be reduced from from 533 to 502 and deemed that each constituency have no fewer than 72,810 and no more than 80,473 electors.

With the current size of the FABS constituency standing at 69,732, i.e. below the lower threshold, the Commission was forced to make changes, explained in its report as follows:

“The towns of Filton and Bradley Stoke, currently located in the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency, are combined with the town of Thornbury and the surrounding area, currently located in the Thornbury and Yate constituency, in our proposed constituency of Thornbury and Filton. The town of Yate is instead combined with the area surrounding Mangotsfield, with which it has close communication links, in our proposed Yate constituency.”

The name of Bradley Stoke first entered the parliamentary vocabulary after the May 2010 General Election, following the creation of a new seat of Filton and Bradley Stoke. The new constituency replaced parts of the Bristol North West and Kingswood constituencies, as well as parts of the former Northavon constituency.

Read on to find out how to comment on the proposed changes »

Local MP Jack Lopresti has opened his new constituency office in Bradley Stoke’s Almondsbury Business Park.

The official opening took place on Friday (3rd September), attended by Cllr Janet Biggin, Chair of South Gloucestershire Council, and Cllr Ben Walker, Mayor of Bradley Stoke, along with other local councillors and supporters.

The MP for the constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke, who entered Parliament on the back of a 6,914  majority in the 2010 General Election, told The Journal:

“After searching for many weeks, it was great to find somewhere accessible and within budget in Bradley Stoke, which was always my preferred location for a constituency office.”

The MP is understood to have initially sought an office at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre, but had to drop the plan because the rents asked exceeded his parliamentary allowance.

His chosen office is in the same complex as that of Bradley Stoke Town Council, which, ironically, is currently examining the possibility of moving to a more central location in the town.

The constituency office will house two members of staff – an office manager and a case worker – and will initially be open from 9am to 5pm, although there are plans to introduce a later closing time from 1st October.

Mr Lopresti continued:

“The office will also be a drop-in centre where people can come and see myself or my team if they need help or would like to bring a local issue to my attention.”

“Meeting with people face-to-face is something I really enjoy and discussing the issues that are affecting their lives is an important part of my job; I will do whatever I can to help.”

The address and contact details of the constituency office can be found on The Journal’s ‘Contact your Concillors, MPs and MEPs‘ page.

Read on for details of Mr Lopresti’s twice-monthly surgeries »

Jack Lopresti, recently elected Member of Parliament for the new constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke (FABS), has made his maiden speech in the House of Commons.

Mr Lopresti’s big moment came during a debate on the Strategic Defence and Security Review on Monday (21st June), in which he urged the government to do more for the welfare of soldiers returning from conflict zones around the world.

The new MP, who took his seat in the chamber at 2:30pm on the day of the debate, described the wait before he was called to speak at 7:50pm as “nerve wracking” and says he was anxious “not to let anyone down”.

As tradition dictates, he opened his seven-minute speech with a message of thanks to his predecessor(s) – in his case, Doug Naysmith (Bristol North West) and  Roger Berry (Kingswood).

Mr Lopresti then went on to reference some of the defence industries active in his “wonderful” constituency, including EADS, Airbus, Rolls Royce and GKN.

There was particular praise for the “new and fantastic” A400M military transport plane being developed by Airbus, which Mr Lopresti noted will have its debut in the south-west at the Royal International Air Tatoo at Fairford on 16th July.

Also warranting a mention were the University of the West of England (UWE) and Frenchay Hospital (of which Mr Lopresti said he would “continue to fight for its existence as a community hospital”).

Returning to defence matters, the new MP said  (of soldiers returning from war zones around the world):

“… it is time for this country, and this Government, to take seriously the ongoing issue of the welfare and, in particular, the mental health of so many of our returning heroes.”

Mr Lopresti went on to relate some of his experiences as a serving Territorial Army soldier in Afghanistan before calling on the government to “honour their commitment to renew and strengthen the military covenant”.

Related links:

• Full text of Jack Lopresti’s maiden speech (TheyWorkForYou.com)
• Video of Jack Lopresti’s maiden speech (TheyWorkForYou.com)

Conservative Jack Lopresti has run out the clear winner in the vote for the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency.

Labour’s candidate Ian Boulton defied the bookies’ odds to clinch second place by a narrow margin over Peter Tyzack of the Liberal Democrats.

Full result:

• Jack Lopresti (Conservative) 19,686
• Ian Boulton (Labour) 12,772
• Peter Tyzack (Liberal Democrats) 12,197
• John Knight (UKIP) 1,506
• David Scott (BNP) 1,328
• Jon Lucas (Green Party) 441
• Ruth Johnson (Christian Party) 199
• Vote Zero-None-Of-The-Above 172

Photos from the count: album; slideshow (PicasaWeb)

How the count unfolded at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre

A sterling performance by the count team from South Gloucestershire Council saw the result declared by just after 1:15am, well in advance of the 4am estimate of the Press Association. This was despite the constituency registering a massive 70.1% turnout, compared to the national average of around 65%.

Ballot boxes began arriving at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre within minutes of the polling stations closing at 10pm and the majority had been delivered within the first half hour.

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Bradley Stoke has seven polling stations open today for voting in the 2010 General Election.

Voters have a choice of eight candidates vying to be the first Member of Parliament for the newly-created Filton and Bradley Stoke (FABS) constituency.

The local polling stations (open until 10pm) are:

• Brook Way Activity Centre
• Jubilee Centre, Savages Wood Road
• Holy Trinity Church, Broad Croft
• Baileys Court Activity Centre
• Evangelical Church, Baileys Court Road
• St Joseph’s Centre, Juniper Way
• Church of Christ the King, Mautravers Close

Bradley Stoke Mayor Mark Forsyth (Conservative), pictured acting as a teller outside the polling station at the Brook Way Activity Centre, told The Journal that he had seen a healthy stream of voters throughout the morning, which he attributed to the interest generated by the televised Prime Ministerial Debates.

The Journal will be reporting LIVE from tonight’s constituency count at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre, starting at 10pm.

Officers at South Gloucestershire Council have said that they are unable to predict when the result will be announced but the Press Association estimates it will be at around 4am.

Follow us on Twitter for the latest gossip, news and photos.

More Information: FABS General Election 2010 (The Journal)

The closely-fought battle for the newly-created constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke (FABS) has seen Jack Lopresti (Conservative) edge back into a small lead, according to the Electoral Calculus website.

The political prediction website had previously given Liberal Democrat candidate Peter Tyzack a tiny 0.15% lead – on the back of the national ‘Clegg Effect’, which peaked after the second televised Prime Ministerial Debate.

The latest figures, compiled on 2nd May, predict a 2.88% victory for Mr Lopresti.

A similar change has been reflected in the odds offered by bookmakers Ladbrokes, with Mr Lopresti shortening to 2/5, Mr Tyzack lengthening to 5/2 and Ian Boulton (Labour) also lengthening to 10/1 (but as long as 41/1 on Betfair).

The Bristol Evening Post still sees the seat as a three-way marginal but The Guardian reckons that the ‘Glegg Effect’ may have turned the contest into a two horse race [PDF, 715KB] with Labour supporters “facing a tough decision” that could swing the result either way.

The Bradley Stoke Journal will be reporting live from the count at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre on Thursday night.

More information: FABS General Election (The Journal)